Textile yarn made of continuous synthetic filaments are dense and artificial feeling. Hence over the years there has been a need to produce synthetic filament textile yarns that look and feel like natural fiber yarns.
Texturing continuous synthetic fiber yarn is one conventional commercial way to produce a bulky synthetic filament textile yarn having more natural appearance and feel. This can be done in one of several conventional ways. For example, yarn can be processed by false-twist, knit-de-knit or air bulking apparatus. Such apparatus produces bulky continuous filament yarn that meets some textile needs.
Another conventional commercial way produces what is known as spun yarn. Continuous filaments are formed into a heavy weight bundle called a tow that is crimped and chopped into short lengths. These chopped fibers, called staple fibers, are processed through modified spinning apparatus to make a spun yarn. The yarn has a softer feel and more natural appearance than continuous synthetic filament yarn.
Each of these basic conventional methods starts with the manufacture of a continuous synthetic filament yarn that must undergo secondary processing to avoid its synthetic characteristics. The conventional approaches (such as those mentioned and their many variations) require one or more slow secondary processes; these are expensive and, in many cases, difficult to control. Hence there is a need for a new approach to producing natural feeling and appearing yarn of synthetic filaments.
Recent developments in the textile field have provided a new and promising approach to producing natural feeling and appearing synthetic filament yarn from a linear sliver-like grouping of discontinuous fibers having sufficient coherency for processing into yarn. Individual fibers are continuously grouped into interengaging relation in the form of a thin coherent web or network, preferably in a fiber forming operation. Normally web formation is done on the moving circumferential surface of a rotary device driven at high angular speeds. The fibers of the web are laterally condensed or gathered together to form a wispy linear sliver-like grouping. The rotary device linearly projects the linear sliver-like element grouping downwardly for collection.
The light, wispy and fragile nature of the sliver-like textile element makes it collection into a satisfactory package most difficult. The package build must allow the fibrous element to be linearly withdrawn reliably without tangles, snarls and breaks for processing into yarn. Without a package providing essentially interruption free run-out (apparatus for producing such a package) development is stifled.